A Time To Kill
by Ms. Jones
Summary: A little story I wrote three years ago which has really stood the test of time. Rufus finally realises what he was put on this planet for, as his eyes meet someone who has been under his nose the whole time.
1. Chapter 1

Rufus' eyes followed her as she walked into the boardroom. She was wearing _that_ dress again, the one which revealed to the whole of Midgar that she was wearing a suspender belt. He sucked in his breath, tried not to grin as her sugardaddy and colleague Heidegger followed her in.

"Hi, Scarlet," Rufus greeted the girl in the revealing dress enthusiastically. "Please, sit down!" He winked at her as she took a seat right next to him. Near enough so that he could reach under the table and touch her leg.

He looked up at the fat, bearded man in superior military uniform, as if noticing him for the first time. It chilled him to the bone to think of this man kissing Scarlet's delicate lips, touching her soft skin, and running his chubby, rough, hairy fingers through her silky blonde hair. What did she see in him, that old, fat incompetent fool? Why couldn't she see that guys like his good self would be a lot more fun, in more ways than one. He earned far more Gil in a week than Heidegger had ever seen in his life, and besides, he was far younger and had more… stamina. It was obvious the old Heidegger couldn't be up to much.

"Take a seat," Rufus told the old pervert in clipped, official tones.

Heidegger sat, right opposite his young lover of six years, so he could stare into her beautiful, sapphire blue eyes.

Rufus shook his head, unable to comprehend why Scarlet fancied Heidegger so.

The pretend general (the uniform made Rufus laugh -- Heidegger was only the head of Public Safety Maintenance after all) cleared his throat, snapping Rufus out of his deep, personal and highly unprofessional fantasies of what he would do to Scarlet, if only he could dispose of the tubby one…

"Okay," he began. "What is the latest on the Weapon situation?" He took a Filofax and pencil from the table's drawer.

Heidegger drew a wheezy, stale breath, about to speak, when Scarlet, her eyes meeting Rufus', interrupted.

"Our Weapon Beater, the Proud Clod, of which we have a blueprint… here." She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her cleavage, "is currently under construction."

Rufus, impressed by Scarlet's flirty display, and her resourcefulness of using her bra to conceal Shinra's confidential documents, took the blueprint. He unfolded it and spread it out on the desk in front of him, almost lovingly stroking it, the thought of how close it had been to Scarlet's naked flesh at the forefront of his mind. But he knew he had to be professional. Chicks found power attractive, and he had a stack of it the size of the city.

He smiled. "Excellent work, Scarlet," he enthused. "Please, go on."

"We plan to use its turbo-powered lasers to destroy the defences of Weapon and fifteen radar guided heat-seeking missiles packed with incendiary explosives, will make absolutely sure that the thing is destroyed.

Rufus smiled, enthralled.

"To keep civilian casualties to a minimum," Scarlet went on, "we hope our Weapon Beater will intercept the enemy over the ocean. Besides this we…"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Heidegger cut in excitedly. "Don't forget the other thing!"

Scarlet shot him an icy look. "I was just getting to that, you cantankerous old fool!" she hissed at him. She turned in her seat towards Rufus, crossing her legs under the table.

"Yes, Mr. President. We believe that this weapon could also be used to deal with our other problem besides Meteor, that of Cloud Strife and his minions. What do you think?" She gazed lazily at him, running the smallest tip of her tongue along the length of her lips.

Rufus pretended to consider her idea by studying the blueprint, and scribbling in his Filofax, genuinely impressed with the way she had berated that obese bogus general.

"Hmmm… just give me a moment… defeat Weapon… over the ocean… no civilian casualties… and you say we can… crush the renegade Cloud?" he muttered, pretending to note things down. Afterwards he threw down his pencil, swept back his hair with his hand, and turned to look at the comely Scarlet. He nodded, looking down at what he'd actually written:

_Scarlet, you shall be mine. Wait 'til I show you what Mr President's 'weapon' can do!_

_9:00- Lure Miss Scarlet to President's Office_

_9:15- Deflower her on desk_

"So, Mr President," Heidegger's annoying snotty nosed, plummy voice boomed, spoiling Rufus' daydream again.

Rufus smiled, looking over at Scarlet, who was gazing nervously at the ceiling. She hoped her idea, and it _was _her idea, would impress Rufus favourably, so that she'd go up in his estimation, and… with a bit of luck… fancy her? She was getting bored with her ageing beau, who was becoming predictable and tiresome. She longed for a bit of excitement with a younger man, and she couldn't see anyone younger than Mr. President. Besides, she was smitten with the thing he did with his hair. Just thinking about it made her stomach quiver and her heart jump.

"Yes," Rufus said concentrating his gaze on Scarlet. "I really… really love… erm… I am thoroughly impressed with the idea to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and it certainly receives full presidential approval."

Scarlet returned her glance to the President, and smiled broadly. "Thank you, sir," she said, quietly.

The loathsome Lothario Heidegger rose slowly to his feet. "You've made the right decision, Mr. President." He extended a chubby arm to Rufus.

The President stood up, ignoring Heidegger. "Well done, Scarlet," he said. "Another brilliant idea. We shall endeavour to implement it as soon as is possible." He took her hand and shook it firmly, although what he really wanted to do was caress each of her soft, slim fingers, kiss her palms gently, and feel her perfectly manicured, vampish red nails scratch violently down his back.

"Gya haaaa haah!" Heidegger laughed his annoying horse laugh. "It _is_ a brilliant idea, Mr. President."

Rufus sighed, wondering if he could arrange an 'accident' with the help of SOLDIER to knock off this sleazy old windbag. Exasperated, he told his adversary "I already said that, idiot! Now would you please leave. I need to talk to Scarlet in _private_, if you don't mind." He turned to the beautiful girl in the clingy wine coloured dress he liked on her so much. "We must discuss some sort of pay increase for you."

"Why, thank you, Mr. President," Scarlet whispered, still quite flustered.

"Meet me in my office in ten minutes," he whispered to her once he was sure Heidegger was out of earshot. "And come… alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Rufus checked his watch. He sighed. Scarlet should have been here five minutes ago. He twirled around in his executive leather chair in vexation. Where could that girl have gotten to? As much as he loved, admired and respected her, she was a lousy timekeeper. He'd already been to the bathroom twice through nerves. Now he thought he needed to go again.

_I do not need to go,_ he told himself, preoccupying himself with thoughts of he and Scarlet in several compromising positions around the office. He decided his favourite was… spread-eagled on the desk, filthying up the nonsensical paperwork he could pay some menial clerk to do if he could be bothered to advertise the job, interview and pay wages.

Finally, a curvaceous form appeared outside. Rufus stood up, removed his jacket, loosened his tie and perched himself on the desk.

"Come in," he growled seductively, running a hand briskly through his hair.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. President?" Scarlet whispered nervously from the open doorway.

He smiled, feeling his heart beat harder and faster. "Call me Rufus," he said in a soft voice he hardly ever used. He beckoned to the shy girl in the sexy dress. "C'mon. Don't be shy."

Scarlet walked tentatively towards the unusually casual president. She'd assumed that he'd wanted to talk about a pay-rise or something. But that seemed the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.

Al of a sudden, a pleasurable thought crossed her mind.

"Mr. Pres… uh, I mean… Rufus," she stammered, suddenly very nervous "Are you… coming onto me?"

Rufus laughed. "Heck, no!" he exclaimed. "Would I abuse my power in such a way by sexually harassing my staff?" Then he leapt off the desk, wrapping his strong arms around the girl, and began to kiss her before she could say anything in reply.

Scarlet stood, breathless for a moment. Was this for real? Did President Rufus Shinra really like her as much as she'd always admired him? She thought a bit of harmless flirting would be a little bit of a laugh -- that's why she'd shoved the blueprints down her front -- but she'd never expected anything like this.

Rufus slipped his tongue casually into her mouth as if it had been a complete accident. Scarlet, naturally, was a little fazed by his actions, but nevertheless started to kiss him passionately in return.

The pair finally broke away, almost gasping for breath.

"Does that answer your question?" Rufus said, lustily. He reached down, touching her thighs, running his fingers up and down the silky straps of material that were keeping her stockings up.

She sighed, burying her cheek in his manly chest. "Oh, yes, Mis… I mean Rufus," she answered, gazing up at him. She remembered him when, six years ago, she had first come to work for Shinra, Inc., as a 16 year old apprentice engineer in the Weapons Division. He'd been a shy seventeen year old, more interested in the workings of a Mako reactor than girls. Not much younger than 'Little Prez,' as he was known at the time, Scarlet often saw him hanging around the weapon engineering workshop, and had grown to admire him immensely. But, knowing the president's son was strictly out of bounds, she had turned her attentions to her boss, Heidegger. Sure, it had been exciting and they'd had good times together, it was nothing like what was happening to her now.

Rufus reached up Scarlet's back as he kissed her and slowly began unzipping her lovely dress. He pressed her head tightly to his chest, and started breathing heavily.

"Oh, Rufus," Scarlet sighed, a wave of emotion consuming her, "why are you doing this?"

Rufus pulled her away from himself to get a better look at her beautiful, flawless face. Her lipstick was smudged and her eyes looked watery, as if she was about to cry. He stepped backward, leading her closer to his desk, and grabbed a tissue from the box on his table. "What's wrong?" he asked, dabbing her eyes. "Don't you like me?"

Scarlet sniffed. "Of course I like you, Rufus," she told him. "It's just that…"

"You think you're betraying Heidegger?" Rufus interrupted, running his soft, cold fingers over Scarlet's face. "Of course you are! But be glad of it, for he's not good enough for you," he added dramatically, before gently kissing her on the lips.

"No, it's not that," Scarlet told him, reaching up to undo his tie. "It's just that… I'm so happy you noticed me."

"Noticed you?" Rufus exclaimed joyfully. "Who wouldn't notice you in that _gorgeous_ dress?" He grinned inanely.

Scarlet slapped him sharply and suddenly across the face. "You guys are all the same, aren't you?" she chirped confidently. "You… disgust me." She pushed him onto his desk and whipped his tie from around his neck.

"That's funny," Rufus quipped. "You don't sound disgusted." He rubbed his sore cheek. "But you sure do have a hard smack on you."

"Kya hah hah haaah," Scarlet laughed evilly. "Want another?" She leaned close to the President and nibbled on his left ear.

Rufus sighed hard. He was enjoying the attention from this girl. Maybe Heidegger wasn't so bad -- being such a dead-weight, Scarlet had probably taught herself to take the initiative when she wanted something.

"Mr. President," Scarlet whispered, sweetly all of a sudden, "hold my hand." She coyly held out her beautiful, slender arm. Rufus obliged her willingly. He couldn't help it, he was under her spell. Everything about her fascinated him; her huge blue eyes, her shapely firm breasts forming a cleavage he just wanted to lose himself in, the fact that she could flaunt her underwear without a care in the world. She was so sweet with him, and he liked it. He squeezed her hand, and leaned to kiss her yet again.

Scarlet wasn't having any of it, though. She grabbed the President's free wrist and bundled his hands together behind his back. Holding his wrists firmly together with one hand (she was a strong girl), she retrieved his tie from the desk.

"Ummm… Scarlet…" Rufus said uncomfortably as he felt her bind his hands together tighter and tighter. "Aren't you going a little too far?"

Scarlet gave him an evil smile. "Hush now, Rufus," she whispered, giving him a butterfly kiss on his nose. "I'm just gonna try something with you that I've wanted to do with Heidegger for ages."

Rufus nodded. "Right," he said, knowing exactly what he was going to get. "Go ahead." He smiled, beginning to feel a lot more comfortable with the situation.

"Now, get in the chair," Scarlet demanded.

Rufus stood up and wandered around to the other side of his desk. He tried to wriggle his hands out of the trap but it was impossible. The more he tried, the tighter it got. He had to admit Scarlet had done a nice job in immobilising his arms.

The temptress perched herself on the desk, revealing a shapely leg. She put a stilettoed foot on Rufus' knee, digging her heel into his leg. She watched him squirm in pain.

"So, Mr. President," Scarlet said. "I suppose you're wondering why I've trussed you up like a turkey."

Rufus nodded, grinning nervously.

"NO!" Scarlet snarled stabbing her heel into his shin.

"Ouch!" Rufus whined. "You've stained my work trousers."

Scarlet looked down at his leg. She shrugged. "Oh, dear," she mumbled sarcastically. Then she cleared her throat, turning back into the dominatrix Rufus clearly admired. "You're _supposed_ to say, 'Yes, Miss Scarlet, please tell me why.' And wipe that stupid smile off your face!"

"Yes, ma'am," Rufus growled.

Scarlet looked at him expectantly. "Go on, then."

Rufus sighed, "Yes, Miss Scarlet, please tell me why," he said reluctantly, feeling stupid.

Scarlet took a hold of the President's stubbly chin and turned his face towards her. "Please tell you what, my dear boy?" she asked sweetly, undoing the top button on his shirt.

Rufus couldn't help laughing. "Why am I trussed up like a turkey, Miss Scarlet?" he giggled, beginning to enjoy himself.

"Stop laughing!" Scarlet yelled. Then calmly, she whispered, "Okay, I'll tell you why."

"Finally getting somewhere," Rufus muttered to himself.

Scarlet's red hot hand hit him across his cheek. "SILENCE!" she demanded loudly. "It's to do this -- when I do finally decide to give you what I _know_ you want… it's so that you keep your filthy, disgusting hands off me." Gently, she rubbed the cheek she'd struck, feeling his prickly 5 o'clock shadow. "Oooh, you're so hot, Mr. President," she whispered to him, slipping a shoulder out of her dress. She jumped onto Rufus' lap, sliding her hand underneath his shirt to tickle his bare chest.

Rufus glanced over at his office door, where he saw a shadowy figure lurking outside, which knocked urgently on the door. Luckily for Rufus, the glass was tinted so that no-one could see inside. _God bless the idiot who put that glass there,_ he thought.

"Er, Scarlet darling," Rufus said awkwardly, "Someone wants in."

"Huh?" Scarlet looked behind her. She sucked in her breath.

"It's okay for now," Rufus admitted. "We're under cover of tinted glass. But whoever that is won't wait forever."

He knew who it was, though. It was Hojo.

"Let's pretend we're not here!" Scarlet whispered.

But Rufus knew that would not be possible. Hojo had the comings and goings of the President down to a fine art; he knew exactly where to find Rufus and when.

The urgent rapping started again.

"Quick," Rufus whispered to the half-undressed Scarlet. "Get under the desk!"

"Do you want me to…" Scarlet offered, making an untying motion with her hands

"No, no, I should be fine," Rufus said, tucking in his chair, checking that Scarlet had enough room under there.

"Ahem. Please come in," he said officially.

The door creaked open and in stepped Shinra's head of science, Hojo. He always reminded Rufus of the late Michael Hutchence of InXS. He looked just like him, and was about as crazy as well. Whilst Hutchence captured women in droves, Hojo did the same to specimens of research.

Rufus knew the news wasn't good by the angry expression on Hojo's face. "Yes, Hojo," he said, leaning forward as far as he could. "What seems to be the problem?"

"RUFUS!?" Hojo asked. Do you know who my son is?"

Rufus looked confused. "I didn't even know you _had _a son," he said. "Congratulations!"

Hojo frowned. "You LIE!" he yelled, beating his fist on the table.

Scarlet jumped in surprise, banging her head on the desk. Rufus looked wide eyed, gritting his teeth, hoping she was OK.

Luckily Hojo didn't even seem to notice, he was so furious. "You've been hiding this as a secret from me, Rufus Shinra!" he boomed. "You made me find out for myself!"

Rufus shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Professor," he affirmed. He felt a tender hand travel from his knee up the inside of his thigh. He couldn't help but smile.

"How DARE you lie to me!" Hojo burst out in a passion. "You… you want to kill my beloved son!"

Rufus shook his head in puzzlement. What boy did he supposedly want to kill? Had Heidegger given an order to slaughter an innocent kid?

"Sephiroth is my son!" Hojo shouted, close to tears.

At that moment, Rufus felt the hand between his legs slowly unzip his flies. A look of horror covered his face, and a sound like a hiccup escaped his throat.

Thank Heavens Hojo thought it was his reaction to his news. "Yes, you may look shocked, Mr. Shinra, but I know that you knew all along. I'm not gonna let you get away with this." Hojo stood and stared angrily for a moment.

"Look, Professor," Rufus said, gently kicking Scarlet under the table, trying in vain to prevent her from doing what she was doing to him "I'd really love to help you with… your problem but… I'm kinda tied up at the moment." He tried not to laugh.

When he said that, he heard a loud giggle from under the table. Well at least she'd stopped what she was doing. For a few seconds anyway. He only hoped that Hojo wouldn't notice.

He stroked the toe of his right foot lightly along Scarlet's leg, beginning to wish he had asked her to untie him, if only to get her to stop it. Nice as it felt, it was distracting…

Hojo shook his head mournfully.

"Why don't you come by tomorrow?" Rufus said brightly, nudging Scarlet gently in the ribs. "I hope I'll be free by then… so we can sort all this out, huh?" He smiled broadly, trying not to look pleased with himself.

"Don't worry, Mr. President," Hojo snarled, his eyelids twitching; through anger or craziness, Rufus didn't know. "Don't worry. You'll get yours."

The President stifled a laugh, feeling Scarlet do something unspeakably lewd and indecent beneath the desk. "I think I already am," he said, a superior smirk on his face.

Hojo backed towards the door. "Don't think this is a joke, Rufus, because I mean it, I will fix you good."

Rufus just sat there and smiled. _If only Hojo knew what was going on down here,_ he thought. _He'd be so jealous!_

"Wipe that smug look off your face when you've untied yourself," Hojo said calmly. "And, just so you know, I'm going to do everything in my power to rescue my beautiful son. And I'm not letting your stupid cannon get in the way!" With that he turned on his heel and stamped out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Phew," Rufus sighed in relief. "That was close."

"Can I come out now, Rufie?" Scarlet asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Sure can, Scarlet," Rufus said, pushing his chair back to let her out. He leaned back in his chair. God, it had been a while since he'd let a woman near him. He'd forgotten how nice it felt to have someone else… stir up his emotions.

She settled on his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Ooh, that was exciting," she sighed. "You know, I really thought he was going to suss you out."

"Yeah," Rufus said coolly, gazing at Scarlet. She looked kind of cute, with her lipstick all smeared across her face like that. He just wanted to take her home and, um… look after her.

"So," Scarlet said huskily. "Has Mr. President learned his lesson?" She stroked a hand through his soft, red hair.

Rufus felt a shiver down his spine. "Oh, yes," he said. "Always keep a beautiful girl under your desk in times of stress."

He felt Scarlet's open hand hit his cheek again, but this time he was expecting her to. He actually enjoyed the sweet stinging sensation. Even though it hurt, the thrill was knowing Scarlet would kiss it all better later on.

She looked at him, his gorgeous blue eyes staring right into hers. "Yes?" she asked. "Do you want something?"

Rufus cocked his head to one side, just thinking about getting Scarlet back to his place. He would put his busy hands all over her slender body, delicately rubbing baby oil into her soft skin. If only he could get loose…

"Come on, Prez," she whispered. "Tell me what you want…"

Rufus pretended to consider it. There was only one thing he wanted.

"Could you untie me please?" he whispered. "It's just that… my shoulders are aching and my wrists are starting to sweat." He smiled, glancing at her sideways

"Well.." Scarlet frowned and drummed her fingers on the president's thigh. He looked at her pleadingly.

"Okay," Scarlet agreed. "If you want it so much I guess it can't be bad." She knelt astride him, reaching behind his back, picking at the knots with her long fingernails, as Rufus busied himself with kissing the exposed bits of her chest, leering down her cleavage. Finally, Scarlet unthreaded Rufus' tie from his wrists and hung it ceremoniously around his neck.

"At last!" Rufus said, putting his arms around Scarlet. "You are in my power!" He rose to his feet, carrying Scarlet with him, one hand behind her back and the other just supporting her knees. He swung her around a couple of times before putting her down. "Wait there a minute," he said, zipping up his flies and grabbing his jacket, which he'd carelessly tossed upon the floor. "Come on," he whispered, reaching down Scarlet's back, and refastening her dress to make her look socially decent. "I'm taking you somewhere _special_!" He draped his jacket around her shoulders and swept her back off her feet.

Scarlet swooned. No man, not even Heidegger, _especially _not Heidegger, had ever treated her so nicely. She was quite surprised with Rufus. She never thought he'd be so affectionate.

"Where would that be?" she asked, sexily.

"The Presidential Suite," Rufus bragged. "My penthouse apartment in Kalm! Turn the light out for me, baby!"


	3. Chapter 3

Reno and Elena walked hand in hand towards the Shinra building. Bathed in the glow of Meteor, their place of employment looked eerily romantic on this dark night.

Elena sighed, leaning on Reno's shoulder. "Thanks for taking me to see 'Loveless,' Reno, she sighed, giving his arm a squeeze.

"Ah, it was nothing," he said proudly. "After all you've been through, you deserve the best."

Elena looked over at the guy who was holding her hand tightly. He'd proved himself to be so understanding, when, a little shaken by the brutal murder of her boss and boyfriend, Tseng, he offered her a shoulder to cry on. He never told anyone how he'd once locked himself in the boardroom with Elena and a box of tissues, or that he'd paid 300 Gil to get her a taxi home one other time she felt really low, and had told Rufus she didn't feel well.

Elena had been very grateful for all this attention, and their friendship had turned into something a little more. He'd actually kissed her whilst they were in the theatre. She'd felt a little surprised that Reno should kiss her in the first place, but kind of glad. She always thought he was sweet, with his scruffy red hair and perpetually wrinkled uniform.

"Hey, Elena," Reno whispered passionately. "Over here." He led her into a nearby phone booth. "Come on. I have a really naughty idea."

Elena looked worried. "Reno," she hissed, "that's a PUBLIC phone box! Someone will see!"

Reno burst out laughing. "Such a filthy mind you have, Elena," he chortled. "Who cares if people see us making a phone-call." He lifted the receiver and listened for the dialling tone. Dropping a few Gil into the slot, he dialled Heidegger's office number. He leaned close to Elena so she could hear the reaction.

"Ye-es, this is Heidegger, head of Public Safety Maintenance," came his pompous introductory spiel. "How may I help you?"

"Yuh," Reno said, putting on a daft voice which made Elena laugh. "I just wondered if you could put me through to someone. A Mr. Cox, first name Everard."

Elena clamped a hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"Hmmm…" Heidegger said thoughtfully. "Everard Cox? Can't say I've heard…"

"Really, Heidegger," Reno said, in his normal voice. "That's not what I've heard from Scarlet!"

Elena couldn't help laughing.

"RENO!" Heidegger shouted, livid. "I'll have you know that Scarlet is very sensitive and understanding about my small impotence problem…"

This got Reno started. He laughed so hard that he could hardly breathe, and the tears gushed down his cheeks.

"STOP THAT LAUGHING!" an angry voice shouted from down the other end of the phone. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

Laughing too hard to say anything else, Reno replaced the receiver.

Convulsing with giggled herself, Elena buried her head in Reno's cosy jacket. It just felt so good to cut loose and have a laugh with a mate, especially if that mate happened to fancy her.

"Ohh dear!" Reno sighed joyously, pressing his forehead to the glass panel of the call box, one arm around Elena's shoulder's. He glanced over at the Shinra building's entrance. All at once he saw a figure in an unusually dishevelled white suit, with a cute girl in a revealing dress on his arm. That was funny. If Scarlet was so understanding about her ageing lover's inability to perform, why was she sticking her tongue down President Rufus' throat?

Elena looked up, still giggling. "Oh, look," she chirped. "It's Rufus the Doofus and Scarlet the Harlot!"

Reno covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing any more. He led Elena by the hand out of the phone booth and, quite accidentally, into the path of the randy President.

Rufus broke off his lingering, passion-filled kiss with Scarlet. He looked contemptuously at the two Turks. Then he smiled a knowing, noticing that they had their fingers intertwined. "What are you two up to?" he asked, teasing them.

Quickly, the pair dropped hands. Reno cleared his throat. "Erm… nothing," he said. "What- what about you?"

Rufus moved his hand from Scarlet's right breast onto her shoulder. "Er… I was going to give Scarlet a lift home." He tapped her shoulder to prompt her into saying something.

"Yeah," Scarlet said sulkily. "Heidegger's working late."

"We know," Elena chipped in. "We just crank-called him from the phone-box, di'n't we, Reno?"

Reno sighed. Elena was always giving stuff away like that. Yet this time it didn't really matter. "That's right," he said, putting his arm around her waist and smiling broadly.

Rufus rolled his eyes. "You Turks can be real childish when you want to," he sighed.

"Thanks very much, Mr. President," said Reno, pleased he'd actually got Rufus' permission to hassle staff members. "I'll get right on it."

Rufus tutted. "I didn't mean it like _that_!" he grumbled. "Come on, Scarlet, let's go." He took his car keys from his pocket and twirled them around his index finger a couple of times, catching them in the palm of his hand.

"Whoo!" Elena cheered. "Wonder where they're off to together?"

"Huh, who cares?" Reno grunted. "Just as long as they… have fun eh?" He nudged Elena and winked at her.

They walked on past the Shinra building and down the road to Wall Market. Reno reached for Elena's cold hand.

"Where are we going" she asked him.

Reno shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "Wherever you wanna go."

Elena sighed sleepily. "Mmm. I am kinda tired," she admitted, resting her cheek on Reno's upper arm. "And it's too far to walk back to my flat."

"Okay, then," Reno said, walking towards the nearby inn. "We'll get a room."

Elena looked at him. "But Reno," she protested, "it's dead expensive around here. Just a night here will cost you an arm and a leg."

Reno smiled and shook his head. "I don't care," he said, kissing Elena's cheek. "I always treat my girlfriends right." He paused. "You _will_ be my girlfriend, huh?"

Elena ignored that and smiled enigmatically to herself.

Reno hugged her tight. "I'll take that as a yes, then, shall I?" he asked.

-----

"Oh, gosh! Rufus!" Scarlet hollered as the breathless president rolled over and landed on the mattress next to her.

"Phew," he panted. "I enjoyed that."

"Me too," Scarlet whispered, resting her head on his chest. "I'll let you into a little secret."

"What's that?" Rufus asked, his hand brushing deliberately against her breasts.

Scarlet smiled coyly. "In all the years I've been sleeping with Heidegger," she admitted, "he's never made me… feel anything like that." She turned red, feeling embarrassed, talking about her sex life. Not that she even _had_ one with Heidegger.

Rufus sniggered. "I always knew he was a useless commodity," he said. "But I didn't know it went as far as the bedroom!"

Scarlet smiled. "It's true, you know!" she said brightly

Rufus twirled a strand of Scarlet's hair around his finger. "What would you do," he began, "if Heidegger walked in on us right now."

Scarlet's soft lips touched Rufus' chest. "First I would tie him to a chair. Then I'd force his eyes open with duct tape and force him to watch us make love." She smiled and nodded, tweaking the President's left nipple.

He sucked in his breath. "Ooooh, I like that," he said. "Voyeurism is a real turn-on."

Scarlet looked up at Rufus in indignation. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I thought you meant the nipple thing!"

All at once an idea hit Rufus. A sly smile spread across his face, as Scarlet began to suck his nipple.

"Yeah, making 'Degger Dumb-ass watch us is a good idea," he conceded, "but what if we put him out of the picture… permanently?"

Scarlet nuzzled Rufus' neck. "But he _is _out of the picture. See this message I sent him on the way here?" She groped for her mobile and brought up the message she had written. "Look."

"U R SO DUMPT," Rufus read aloud. "Yeah, that's great. But I meant something… a little more… shall we say… effective? So he'll never bother us again."

Scarlet cottoned on, her eyes growing wide. "Gotcha, Mr. President," she said, winking at him. "But who's gonna do the dirty?"

"Count me out," Rufus said. "I'm _way_ too important to be convicted of murder. Besides, I know the perfect man for the job…" He picked up the cordless hand-set beside his bed.

"You mean Reno?" Scarlet asked. "Should we really be bothering him at this hour? He might be busy right now… with Elena?"

Rufus laughed heartily. "No way," he said. "Elena is far too headstrong to hit on a loser like him."

Scarlet shrugged. "Well… I saw them. He had his hand on her butt, and she seemed to be lovin' it." She smiled and nodded smugly.

Rufus frowned and shook his head. "Naah," he said. "Now, be honest, given the choice, would you get down with Reno… or Heidegger?"

Scarlet thought for a moment. She'd always found Reno quite sweet. He was kinda cute for a 'Turk,' and he'd been a member since he was fifteen, so she'd heard. Wow, she could just squeeze that skinny little body, and run her fingers through his gorgeous, tousled hair.

"Umm, I'd rather have_ you_, Rufie," she answered flatteringly.

Rufus clicked his fingers. "There, you see!" he said. "No one would touch him with yours, mate! I'm gonna phone the lonely little thing up!" He dialled a number. "He'd do anything for a couple of hundred gil anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

Elena lounged on the bed in her lingerie, which was surprisingly sexy for a member of the Turks. She watched as Reno slowly unbuttoned his shirt, which he never tucked into his trousers.

He flushed pink. "Okay, I'm gonna reveal my most confidential secret," he announced. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. I don't want this broadcast across Midgar, and I especially don't want Rude to find out. Okay?"

"Agreed," Elena said.

"O-kay then." He whipped off his shirt, and stuck out his chest.

Elena looked impressed. "Whoa! Nice nipple rings," she whispered, adjusting her bra strap. "Can I touch 'em?"

Reno walked over to the bed and reclined next to her. "Baby, you can do whatever you want to me," he whispered sexily.

No sooner had the tip of Elena's fingers brushed against him, his mobile phone began to ring.

"Oh, no!" Reno sighed, rebuckling his belt and walking over to where he dumped his jacket. "I knew I should have turned that off!"

Elena sighed, rolling onto her back and putting her hands behind her head. "Whoever it is, tell them we're busy."

"This better be good," he said crossly into the hand-set.

"Hello, Reno," the President said demurely. "You're not busy, are you?"

"Well yes, I am," Reno snarled, flopping onto the bed next to Elena. "Whaddaya want?"

Rufus put his hand over the mouthpiece. "You're right," he admitted. "He probably is with that Elena."

Scarlet smiled and stroked a finger down Rufus' arm

He sighed. "Guess I owe you something special." He grinned at her and winked.

"Hello?" Reno shouted down the phone. "Why'd you ring me anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry, Reno. I've got a job for you two," Rufus said.

"Two?" Reno asked. "But… there's just me here." He looked over at Elena and smiled.

"Oh shut up, you… smarty-pants," Rufus snapped. "Listen, I want you and Elena to uh… to uh…" He put his hand back over the phone again. "Scarlet, will you _stop _that?"

Scarlet shyly moved her hand away from between his legs. "Just thought you fancied some executive relief," she purred.

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled dismissively. "Hello Reno?" he announced back down the phone.

He was convulsing with laughter. "S-sorry, Mr. President," he giggled, "but I heard that."

Rufus blushed bright red and slapped his hand across his forehead. "Forget about that. There are more important matters than my sex li…"

"Whoa," Reno interrupted sarcastically. "He's finally going official. What do you want from u.. uh, I mean… _me_?"

"This is a mission," Rufus pronounced. "But not just any mission. This is different. It will involve you risking your neck for Shinra."

"My neck, huh?" Reno said thoughtfully. "Don't fancy that." He twisted a hank of hair round his index finger.

"Shut up and listen!" the President snarled. In a calmer voice, he continued, "This is an assassination order of the highest priority…"

"Oh for goodness' sake, Rufus!" Reno interrupted. "I've already tried one, two, three… four times to knock off that spiky-haired Cloud idiot. I'm sick of it. I am _not_ going to try it again!"

Rufus felt a vein in his neck get tight. Was Reno trying to wind him up? "Look here, Reno," he said, angrily. "I've just gotten in bed with the cutest girl on the planet. Don't be spoilin' my night with your jealousy."

Scarlet put her arm around his shoulders and began kissing his neck.

Reno exhaled deeply. "Stop moanin', Rufus!" he sighed. "Just gimme the orders." Elena, unable to resist, reached across and tweaked his right nipple ring.

Rufus cleared his throat. "Okay," he said. "I want you to… dispose of Heidegger."

Reno snickered down the phone. "Whoa, you must really hate him," he said raising his eyebrows. "But isn't he our… I mean MY boss?"

The President flicked back his hair with his free hand. "Not anymore," he decided. "Scarlet has been promoted to that position."

"Oooh, interesting," Reno chipped in. "I get this. You are having _sexual relations _with Heidegger's babe, right now, as we speak, and you want ME to knock him off so you can have her _all_ to yourself. Am I right or am I right?"

"Well…" Rufus said uncomfortably. "I wouldn't have put it quite like that but… yes. Will you do it?"

Reno grinned to himself, stroking Elena's hand as she played with his nipple. "Okay," he said enthusiastically. "I'll do it. But it'll cost ya."

Rufus sighed. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this," he lamented. "How much?"

"Hmmm…" Reno mused for a second. "No less than… let's say… around the region of… one million gil?"

Rufus snorted. "Huh, don't be ridiculous," he told Reno.

"Ah, well, too bad Mr. Shinra," he sighed. "No Gil… no kill."

Rufus sucked in his breath. "No, Reno… wait," he pleaded. "Don't hang up!"

"So you'll pay me, eh?" Reno asked, cheerfully.

"Yes," Rufus pronounced, reluctantly. "Yes, I will. I shall pay you upon receipt of hard proof of his death."

"Like his heart?" Reno suggested with relish, "dripping with his thick, crimson blood? All clotted and…"

Rufus went pale. "N-no…" he shuddered. "Photographic evidence will be quite sufficient."

"And… the small matter of the monies?" Reno asked, rubbing his fingers and thumb together.

"I can offer you as much as five hundred thou," came the reply.

Reno sucked in his breath. "Sorry," he said. "Reno no like what Reno hear. I got's to go now. There's this foxy lady right here who can't keep her hands off me. 'Bye Mr. Shinra, sir!"

"WAIT!" Rufus exclaimed in a panic.

"Ye-es?" Reno asked, a smile covering his face.

"All right," Rufus said, weakly. "You prove to me that you're really with a woman, and you can have your stupid million."

"Very well, Mr President," Reno agreed. "Hey, Elena, Rufus wants a word with you." He handed the phone to the half-asleep girl dozing at his side.

"Hello, Mr. President," she said huskily. "This is Elena."

"Yeah, hi." Rufus said, flustered and deflated. He had thought Reno had just been faking. "Can I just ask you one thing."

"OK, shoot!"

"Erm…" Rufus still couldn't believe that someone as independent and tough as Elena had gone for someone as simple and as petty as Reno. "I hope you don't mind my asking… what the hell do you see in Reno?"

"Well," Elena said thoughtfully, "he's very handsome… kind, caring, and he's got the greatest sense of humour you could ever wish for. And…"

"That's ENOUGH!" Rufus snapped. "You can pass me back to your fancy man, now."

She handed the phone back to Reno. "So it's settled, then?" he asked. "One million big ones for killing the big one."

"That's right," Rufus said. "Remember, wear gloves and dispose of the body carefully."

"Yeah, yeah," Reno moaned. "Thanks for the advice. I have done stuff like this before."

"I'll be expecting results," the President growled.

"And results you shall get," Reno answered. Quickly, he hung up. "Hah, executive relief," he muttered to himself with a dirty smile.

"Executive what?" Elena asked, yawning, slipping underneath the duvet. She was a little cold and thought these sheets would keep her warm- at least until Reno came to bed.

"I'll tell you later!" he said switching off his mobile. "Don't want this to disturb us at all." He placed it on the bedside table and turned to Elena. "Let's do this thing, then." He loosened his belt buckle.

"Assassinate Heidegger?" Elena asked dimly.

Reno smiled. "Not right now, Sleepyhead," he told her, wriggling out of his trousers. "We've got more important things to do right now." He leaned over and kissed her.

"Wow!" Elena could be heard to say. "I didn't know your… electromag rod… was THAT big!"


	5. Chapter 5

"You ready to do this, Elena?" Reno asked, squeezing her hand.

She nodded.

"Okay." He kissed her hand. "It'll all be over in a matter of seconds. 'Degger won't know what hit him."

"I hope you're right," Elena sighed, squeezing Reno's hand in return. This was her first assassination, so she was a little nervous. She was a little calmer than she thought she'd be, maybe because she was with Reno. She knew he was experienced in this sort of thing. He'd never let on the number of kills he'd had, but Elena suspected he'd disposed of over a hundred of the Shinra's enemies.

"Let's go!" Reno said, kicking the door.

It sprung open quite easily, much to his surprise. Nevertheless, they scrambled into Heidegger's office.

Reno pointed his gun at the fat man slumped at the desk. He hesitated.

"That's funny," he said, thinking the old man was already dead. "Someone's been here before us."

A sniff and a mournful sob came from the bearded mass.

Elena stepped forward. "Heidegger?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"

"She dumped me," a muffled voice said. "She's gone and dumped me."

"Who dumped you?" Elena asked, knowing full well who

"I thought we were getting on fine," Heidegger wept, "but then she tells me it's finished." He sniffed sharply, looking up briefly to thrust his mobile phone at the pair.

"So," Elena said, handing him a tissue, wishing he would blow his nose. "You've been here all night?"

Heidegger nodded. "I-I don't wanna go home," he sobbed into his desk. "I'm afraid. Afraid she won't be there to…"

"Ah, well," Reno cut in, walking over to where Elena stood, reaching for her hand. "Plenty more fish in the sea and whatnot, eh?" His eyes met Elena's and they smiled at each other.

Heidegger raised his head, his bloodshot eyes beginning to focus on and recognise his company. "Reno? Elena?" he sobbed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahehhehheh," Reno laughed nervously. "We were gonna kill you." He laid the gun on the desk.

"President's order," Elena chipped in. "Ain't that right, Reno?" She stroked his hand affectionately.

"Uh… yeah…" he said, not sure he should be telling Heidegger all this.

"So you wanna kill me?" Heidegger sobbed, the whites of his eyes red through crying. "Then go ahead and kill me. I got nothing left…" He slumped back onto his desk, burying his face in his flabby upper arms."

"I won't!" Reno announced. "I make a point of not killing people who _want _to die!" He smirked, thinking back to the ancient belief that suffering was a lot worse than death. Once Rufus saw the torture on Heidegger's face, he'd have to pay Reno _not _to kill the fat guy.

"Yeah," Elena said kindly. "Nothing's as bad as it seems, Mr. Heidegger."

"I always thought Scarlet and I would be together forever," he sniffed. "And now that Meteor is gonna crush us all…"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Reno said thoughtfully. "I'm sure that Cloud, much as I hate him and want him to die, has something up his sleeve." He nodded and smiled at Heidegger.

"But we're not taking any chances," Elena said. "Tomorrow Reno and I are going to Kalm and… getting married." She threw herself close to him.

Reno nearly choked on his own saliva. "We are?" he said.

He felt Elena give him a sharp kick. "Uh, I mean, yes, we are."

"We can't keep our hands off each other," Elena said, wrapping her arms tighter around Reno.

"We just can't bear to be apart," Reno added melodramatically, kissing Elena on the lips.

"I've never loved anyone this way before," Elena sighed passionately, looking into Reno's bright blue eyes in such a way that even he believed she was in love with him.

"I'm just so lucky to have such a nubile young go-getter for a girlfriend… er, I mean, _fiancée,_" Reno added, stroking his hand through Elena's short blonde hair, smiling as he stole a glance at Heidegger.

"Stop it!" Heidegger sobbed. "Stop winding me up you two!"

Reno shrugged. "Who said anything about winding you up?" he mumbled, concentrating more on Elena's face than his intended assassination victim. "I'm gonna marry this girl." He leaned to kiss her, but she kicked him again, much harder than before. "M-maybe not."

"But seriously," Elena went on, untangling herself from Reno's grip, "we are gonna get out of Midgar. If you wanna live, I'd suggest you do, too."

Suddenly, there was a loud BANG! Elena screamed and clung to Reno for all she was worth, as he sucked in his breath. The pair watched as flaming debris passed by Heidegger's window.

Suddenly, a distant rumble was heard, followed by the lights dimming down and flickering for a few seconds.

"Whoa!" Reno exclaimed. "What the hell was that?"

"Sister Ray," Heidegger whispered barely audibly.

"Oh!" Elena said, surprised. "I like the Velvet Underground."

"Nooo!" Heidegger said, irritated. "It was the Mako Cannon from Junon." He paused, his eyes welling up with tears yet again. "It was… Scarlet's idea to bring it here."

Reno sighed. "Oh, come on, Heidegger," he sighed, getting equally irritated with the blubbering mess. "Don't be so down about it. Just 'cause she slept with Rufus it doesn't mean you… oops." Reno covered his mouth with his hand. "Pretend you didn't hear that."

Heidegger slammed his chunky face on his desk. His face turned a dark shade of purple. "WHAT?!" he roared. "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SCARLET?"

"Don't know," Reno said innocently. "A lot of… people… were yelling… stuff."

"You said that _my_ Scarlet slept with the so-called 'honourable' President Shinra?" Heidegger said, consumed with rage.

At that moment, the door swung open. "Heh, heh, heh," the voice said. "Nice to know I'm still appreciated around here."

It was the figure of a man dressed in white, blood streaming down his face, dripping onto the collar of his jacket. He had narrowly escaped the flaming wreckage of his office, shot to pieces by the Weapon, which was approaching at an alarming rate. Despite his injuries, the President was still smiling.

Heidegger saw red. This man, whose father had been a trusted confidant, had abused the ultimate barrier of trust.

"I'll appreciate you, you…" Heidegger roared. He lunged for the gun but Reno was too quick.

"Whoops, that's mine," he said, picking the weapon up. He twirled it around his finger before stuffing it in the safety of his inside pocket.

"Whoa, don't thrash about like that, Dumb-ass," Rufus mocked to Heidegger. "You'll give yourself a hernia!" He stood there, his arms folded, his hair hanging in his face, giggling as the chubby general clutched urgently at his chest.

"What did you… call me just then?" he demanded angrily, gasping for breath, grabbing weakly at the lapels of Rufus' jacket.

Rufus whipped out his shotgun. "Never manhandle the President!" he snapped, placing the barrel squarely on Heidegger's forehead.

"So… what are you… gonna do?" Heidegger snarled, in between shallow, wheezy breaths. "Shoot me? Go ahead… shoot me!"

"I'm not gonna do that," Rufus said calmly. He punched Heidegger hard in the face with his free hand.

The bearded general staggered back into the path of Reno, who pushed him forwards, and flat on his bruised face onto the floor.

"Thanks, Skeletor," Rufus said, still grinning, seemingly oblivious to the wounds on his forehead.

Reno frowned. "I resent that label, Rufus," he objected.

"So sue me," Rufus muttered.

Elena's eyes met the president's. He smiled. "Oh, Elena," he sighed. "Why would someone as beautiful as you want to go out with someone like _him_?" He wrinkled his nose and pointed his thumb disdainfully at Reno.

Elena gawked at Rufus and pulled another tissue from her pocket. "M-mister President!" she stammered. "You're hurt." She tentatively stepped towards him.

Rufus stepped quickly away from her. "No, I'm fine…" he said, unconvincingly. "I-I'll get Scarlet to do me up."

At the sound of Scarlet's name, Heidegger, still lying prostrate on the ground, made a weeping noise.

Reno rolled his eyes. "Shut UP, man," he sighed.

Elena persevered. "But Mr President," she said. "There's a shard of glass in your forehead."

"Do you think I care?" Rufus barked. "I'll be fine." He eyed the stricken Heidegger curiously, making sure he wouldn't try anything more.

Reno exhaled sharply. "This is getting really stupid," he sighed. "Come, Elena, let's go." He reached for her hand.

"Wait, you guys," Rufus said, standing in the doorway, blocking their exit.

"Wha-at!?" Reno exclaimed angrily.

"I want you to take these," Rufus threw a bunch of keys at Reno, who caught them, elegantly.

"What are they for?" Elena asked.

Rufus leant on the door frame. "A settlement, if you will."

"Settlement?" Reno asked.

"They're the keys to my Kalm apartment," Rufus explained. "Consider yourself… FIRED!" He gave the pair a nasty grin. "Rude, too," he concluded. "Tell him when you see him." He turned away. "Oh yeah," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Enjoy your last days together." He began to walk casually away, chuckling to himself as he went.

"Hey!" Elena snapped angrily, hands on hips. "You can't do that!"

Rufus stopped, turned back towards the Turks and shrugged. "Looks like I just have," he said, spitefully.

Reno sighed. "All right, fine," he said, relenting. "But remember this when you get your insurance money for this hole; I saved your life! I kept this gun away from Heidegger there." He patted his jacket and pointed to the ample figure who was struggling to breathe. "He'd have you dead if he wasn't having a heart attack."

Rufus looked at Heidegger. Seeing him slumped limply across his office floor, he laughed.

"Please… help… me…" Heidegger whispered pathetically. "Pains… in my chest…"

"Oh, that," Rufus said nonchalantly. "That's just your heart tearing in two." He beckoned to the Turks. "Come, my jobless ones," he jibed. "Let's get out of here."

Reno and Elena rushed over to Heidegger and struggled to get him on his feet.

"Okay, we're leaving now," Reno whispered, being uncharacteristically sensitive. "You'll live. Don't worry."

They couldn't carry him very far. By the 63rd floor, Reno had resorted to dragging him by the feet down the stairs.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

Elena sighed. "I feel kinda sorry for old Heidegger," she said to Reno. "He's just… giving up really… isn't he?"

"Ow!" said Heidegger, his hairy head bouncing off yet another stair.

"Sorry," Reno replied. He turned to Elena. "Well, you'd give up too, if you were dumped by some chick as hot at Scarlet." He stared down the stairwell "Wouldn't you Rufus?" he called.

"Shut yer face, Reno," Rufus yelled back. "Scarlet is never gonna dump me. Especially not for someone like _you_!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reno answered back.

Rufus made no reply.

It must have been around the tenth floor when Rufus stopped, his hand over his mouth.

"Ohhh!" he sighed, hitting his left cheek sharply with his hand. "I left my mobile up there!" He couldn't help but think of the erotic text messages he'd got from Scarlet that morning. What if it turned up somehow and someone saw those messages. How embarrassing would that be?

"Forget it," Elena, ever the sensible one, snapped at him. "You can always buy another one."

"Yeah," Reno murmured in agreement. "Besides, you can afford it!" He stopped and knelt down beside Heidegger, who had long since given up saying 'Ow' as they lugged him down the stairs.

Elena felt the man's neck for a pulse. "I think we lost him," she admitted sadly.

"Thank God for that!" Reno yelled jubilantly. "I was getting pretty sick of dragging that dead-weight."

Elena scowled at her boyfriend. "That's not very nice!" she yelled.

Reno shrugged. "You wouldn't be saying that if he'd been _your_ boss for ten years," he argued.

"Well," Elena said, arranging the freshly dead Heidegger in a more dignified position. "I still think he deserves a decent burial."

A distant rumble could be heard from above them.

Rufus sucked in his breath. "Err… I think he's gonna get that!" he said urgently. "The ceiling's giving way."

Reno gasped as a claw shaped piece of metal appeared in the wall just ten feet away. "Oh no!" he stammered. "It's Weapon!"

"RUN!" Elena yelled, jumping down a full flight of stairs

They made it out just in time to see Weapon cause the 61st floor to cave in.

Reno and Elena embraced each other, taking stock of what had just happened. First a colleague, albeit a grumpy, mean, old colleague, had passed away right before them. Now the rampaging Weapon, in its death throes, was destroying the place they had worked at for most of their lives.

"Reno," Elena wept emotionally. "I don't ever wanna go through that again."

Reno wiped her cheeks with his sleeve and kissed her forehead gently. "You won't have to," he whispered. "Now who's up for a drink at Tifa's new bar?"

Elena brightened up. "Okay!" she answered, stepping into the taxi Reno had hailed.


	6. Chapter 6

Rufus was left alone, standing on the doorstep of what had once been a lucrative business empire, now crumbling in dust and flames. His father, and _his_ father before him, had strived to build it up. What had once been so mighty, so powerful, was disintegrating before his very eyes.

He felt the blood from his face run down his neck. Very uncomfortable, but he didn't want to touch it. He didn't want to spread it about. After all, it wasn't _that_ bad… was it? He watched all the people from nearby buildings, some on fire, some crumbled to the ground or still doing so, rushing about in fear. He noticed how eerily quiet it was; there was far less commotion than he expected there to be… well, most people had made good their escape.

He saw a gang of kids smashing a shop window, looting it. If he was still in charge, which clearly he wasn't anymore, he would summon a troop of Shinra soldiers to spill the brat's guts all over the floor. He even considered going over there himself to cull them all with his six-shooter. But no, now he was just another bloodied face in the crowd.

The wind blew sharply, making his deep facial injuries sting. "Ouch!" he said out loud.

The glow of the fire from the former Shinra building drew his attention back to his smouldering dominion. He glanced up at it, and sighed.

"Oh, well," he thought to himself out loud. "At least I've still got the broadcasting satellite, not to mention the film studios and the news company…"

A man with silver hair, covered in a black cloak approached Rufus from the darkness. "I'm afraid not," he murmured mysteriously.

Rufus felt a shaky stiffness in his limbs. Fear. He'd never felt fear in his life before.

"Se-Sephiroth!" Rufus shouted.

The man sighed grumpily. "I'm not… Sephiroth," the mysterious voice said. "I'm Rupert… his evil twin."

Rufus frowned, suddenly too confused to be scared. "I don't get it," he said, folding his arms.

"I'm afraid your dad sold all that extra stuff to me!" Rupert boomed. "You see… he wasn't making as much profit off Mako as he made out to be…"

Rufus shook his head. "You're lying!" he said, not so calmly.

"Oh, yeah?" Rupert argued. "He needed the cash to complete the construction of this city! And look at it now! Shameful, isn't it? Ha, ha, ha!" He'd certainly got the evil laugh from his brother.

"I don't care!" Rufus yelled. "Just get Sephiroth to call off this Meteor thing!"

"Hmm…" Rupert mused. "I'll see what I can do. After all… I am one of the most powerful men in the world! Ha, ha, ha, haugh… oh… my throat…" He stumbled away, clutching his neck.

Rufus shrugged, thinking how strange that was.

"Ah, well," he said aloud to himself again. "'Least I've still got that villa in the sun!" He clicked his fingers and skipped a little.

But, to his dismay, a spiky head of blond hair bobbed into sight. No! It couldn't be!

"Sorry, Rufus," Cloud said. "I gazumped you! That villa's mine, now."

"Gggh!" Rufus tried to control his frustration

"I got the money from a mastered All materia," he explained to the red-faced Rufus. "It's amazing what some suckers are willing to pay for a bit of rock."

Rufus was shaking again, this time in rage.

"Oh, and I'm so glad you made it out of your office alive," Cloud said, tapping Rufus' shoulder. "And you're welcome to stay in my villa any old time you like." He cleared his throat. "With Tifa's permission, of course."

"Sh-sh… SHUT UP!" Rufus exploded to Cloud, who backed away.

"Well… take care of yourself," Cloud said, bounding off.

Rufus found the nearest lamp-post and began to beat his head against it.

-----

A red sports car pulled up in front of the doomed Shinra building. Out stepped a worried looking Scarlet, dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, make up streaming down her pretty face. When she'd heard about the explosion there, the first thing she had done was pack her bags. She wanted out of this city, Meteor or no Meteor.

Most of all she was worried about her darling Rufus, the man who this morning had tenderly kissed her lips, who had playfully love-bitten her neck, and who had sworn to her he would never, ever leave her side.

On hearing the devastating news of the explosion, she had immediately tried to get Rufus on his mobile. When there was no answer, she feared the worst. Before she could even leave the city, she'd have to find beautiful Rufus. If it was as she feared, and Rufus was dead, then she too would die.

As she wiped her eyes, she saw a familiar figure batter his bloodied head against a street light.

_Was it him?_ she wondered, not believing it herself. She had heard the rumours. Nobody in the world had ever seen Rufus Shinra draw blood, or shed tears. Still, after everything that had happened it just might be…

"Rufus," she called sceptically.

He looked up, rubbing his head. "WHAT?!" he cried. "What is it NOW?"

Scarlet gasped, tears in her eyes. "Oh… RUFUS!" she exclaimed passionately. "I thought I'd never see you again." She wrapped her arms tightly around Rufus' strong torso. "You had me so worried."

Rufus returned her tight embrace. Who cared about some stupid city, or a broadcasting company that wasn't even his? Scarlet's warmth next to him gave him comfort, hope that all was not lost… just yet.

Scarlet noticed her lover's blood drip onto her bare shoulders, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. "You… poor thing," she sniffed, grabbing a pair of tweezers from her glove compartment and deftly pulling out the glass lodged there. She handed him a clean lace handkerchief, the very same one Heidegger had given her as an anniversary present earlier that year.

"Let's get out of here," Rufus whispered, clutching the cloth to his deepest cut. He knew a little inn in Kalm where they could go, after a visit to the Emergency Room, and make the most of their last days on Earth together.

Scarlet smiled at Rufus as he jumped into the car next to her. "Ready to go, Rufie?" she asked.

Rufus nodded, touching her hand as she switched gears.

"I love you, Scarlet," he whispered as the pair drove away.


End file.
